Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf: A friend indeed who’s a friend in need…

In fact, in a September 2005 60 Minutes interview, Musharraf rendered bin Laden irrelevant as follows:

“[We] are not certainly on a trail of one man….[We] are fighting terrorism, wherever it is. If Osama happens to be there incidentally, he will be killed or captured.”

Therefore, the time is past due for Bush to stop casting bin Laden as the embodiment of all that terrorizes America and the world today, and start hailing Musharraf for his heroic military efforts and personal sacrifices in this war. And frankly, Musharraf can do with a little show of appreciation. Because even though Mubarak has talked a good war strategy, no Muslim leader has demonstrated more zeal in helping Bush execute his military objectives than President Musharraf:

His efforts include apprehending top al Qaeda leaders like Ramzi bin al-Shahib – a roommate of Mohammed Atta and one of the planners of the World Trade Center attack, Ahmed Ghailani – who was under indictment in the United States for his alleged role in the African embassy bombings and Khalid Sheik Mohamed – the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks; picking up the hot pursuit of Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters that U.S. forces chase across his border from Afghanistan; and mounting an aggressive campaign to “reform” the Saudi-funded Madrassas that educate so many Muslim boys in the Jihadist ideology of hate. (Indeed, Madrassas similar to the one attended by the student who was convicted recently for plotting to assassinate President Bush.)

And despite all this and more, what has Musharraf gotten in return?

First and foremost, because of his anti-terror initiatives, Musharraf has been called a traitor by fellow Muslims and has sustained numerous fatwas (religious orders to assassinate him); his character has been impugned by his American allies (including senators and even the CIA Director Porter Goss) who unfairly accuse him of not doing enough to capture bin Laden (or to rid his security forces of Islamic extremists); and he’s had to address his long-suffering nation on too many occasions to explain why American missiles keep killing innocent Pakistanis in vain attempts to eliminate terrorist suspects – like the spectacular failure a few weeks ago when an unmanned Predator aircraft fired missiles that killed 18 civilians (including women and children) but missed the target – al Qaeda’s no. 2 man Ayman al-Zawahiri (who appeared on video days later to taunt Bush and further condemn Musharraf to death).

Naturally, few Pakistanis care for Musharraf’s explanations – especially the tribal chiefs in the mountain provinces who are reportedly more sympathetic to the foreign holy warriors they protect than to Musharraf’s Army (searching to destroy them) who many Pakistani tribesmen regard as little more than hired mercenaries doing America’s dirty work.

Given his travails, therefore, one can understand why Musharraf seems so nonplussed and indignant when he hears American officials questioning his commitment to the global war on terrorism. Indeed, Bush would advance his war strategy far more effectively if he were to increase financial aid to Pakistan to help Musharraf redress the economic and social conditions that breed alienated and disaffected Islamic extremists; instead of pouring billions of dollars into Halliburton’s reconstruction money pit in Iraq.

Moreover, he should limit U.S. military aid to hardware specifically geared towards fighting al-Qaeda and Taliban forces (like helicopters and communications equipment) and suspend, indefinitely, any sale of jet fighters (nuclear-capable F-16s) that are impractical for this purpose and would only fuel the arms race with India, which neither Pakistan nor India can afford.

Nevermind them Pervez, this Danedar Chai’s for you!